IDOP18
Leeds Community Events
The International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) is held each year on the 1 October. The event is celebrated in Leeds with a week of community events and this report gives details of a selection of the 2018 events. All of the events in this report were awarded grants by the IDOP Planning Committee on behalf of Public Health, Adult Social Care and Leeds Equality Team.
Contents Page 3
Introduction
Page 4
IDOP 2018 Community Events Figures
Page 5
Asha Neighbourhood Project Celebrating the Positive Contribution of Older Women
Page 6
Zest I.T High Tea
Page 8
Daisyfield Grange I Always Wanted To…
Page 10
Seacroft Good Neighbours Afternoon Tea at the Postcard Cafe
Page 12
Adults & Health Complex Needs Centres & Older Peoples Day Opportunities in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries Dementia Friendly Celebration Event
Page
Housing Leeds – Tenant Involvement Team Cultural Understanding
Page 14
Desert Island Discs and ‘Clubbercise’ Bramley Elderly Action
Page 16
Horsforth Live at Home Scheme Laughter Yoga
Page 17
All organisations who Received IDOP 2018 Community Grants
Page 18
Yorkshire Mesmac Sage Project/West Yorkshire Queer Stories
Page 19
IDOP Steering Group & Credits
Black Health Initiative
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Introduction The International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) is held each year on the 1st October. 2018 marked the twentieth year of celebrating the event in Leeds and a theme of Trailblazers was chosen. In Leeds we spread the celebrations out over a week and Leeds Older People’s Forum (LOPF) is responsible for administrating the Community Grants which local organisations can apply for (grants can be up to £200). The funding for the IDOP Community Grants is provided by Leeds City Council. The organisations highlighted in this report are among the 15 which were awarded Community Grants. As ever the number of applications far exceeded the budget so unfortunately 30 organisations were unsuccessful. The report aims to give a flavour of how IDOP was celebrated in Leeds and how different groups and communities came together to celebrate this city’s wide and wonderful diversity as well as celebrating the contribution made by older people living in Leeds. The report shows some of the innovative ways in which organisations (and their service users) in Leeds are embracing modern technology whilst also recognising what has come before and how the current older generations in Leeds have played an important part in their communities. The diversity of Leeds’ trailblazers was also celebrated including two organisations (ASHA and Touchstone) focussing on the contribution and experiences of older women from BME communities, whilst Black Health Initiative celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Empire Windrush carrying West Indian migrants to Britain. Some of the events were used as pilots with the intention of rolling out the activities long-term. Horsforth Live at Home (page 16) for example are aiming to start a 6 month trial of monthly laughter yoga sessions starting in March 2019. Some, such as the Dementia Friendly event (page 12) were run in partnership and the organisations involved plan to continue this partnership working. There were also intergenerational events such as the fantastic Trailblazing Stories (page 18) where young and old people from the LGBTIQ* community came together to share stories which were then published in a zine. Sean Tunnicliffe, Communications Officer, Leeds Older People’s Forum
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Facts & Figures Number of funded community events that took place during October Amount of money awarded to community events Number of older people who attended the funded community events Number of Younger people who attended the funded community events
15 ÂŁ2890 446 99
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Celebrating the Positive Contribution of Older Women Asha Neighbourhood Project Our aim was to promote and celebrate the positive contribution older women, have made to the Asha Neighbourhood project whilst inspiring and paving the way for younger women to follow their example. As a part of the event, we encouraged the women to share their experiences of childhood, marriage and moving to the UK from their birth countries. The women spoke about how Asha has contributed to their settling in UK. They also talked about how the sewing classes, and women’s groups helped them to develop the skills required to integrate into the wider community. We learned from the women that each of them had different experiences in accessing Asha. Asha was very different when it first opened in 1985 for Bangladeshi women and children (and other women where possible) and their families in Beeston and Holbeck. The women discussed the barriers they faced (such as disapproval from family members and the Bangladeshi community, no childcare and low self-esteem) in accessing services such as the classes and taking part in events and trips . Tahena Ahmed, Health Development Worker, Asha Neighbourhood Project
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High Tea Zest The event was busy from the start and many of the people seemed to know each other so there was a good lively atmosphere. Tea was served and guests seemed to enjoy it being served in ‘posh’ cup and saucers. Alistair, who volunteers at Zest, was on hand to give advice to guests on any technical questions they had about using their gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets and to also show people how to tweet.
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The event started by getting guests to introduce themselves and tell people a little bit about their life and what they’d done and what they hoped to do. Many people introduced themselves by saying there was nothing interesting about them before going on to give interesting talks about their lives including David who worked at the Queens Hotel for many years and met a lot of famous people. The group enjoyed a number of activities before being invited to ask Alistair for IT advice. Sean Tunnicliffe, Communications Officer, Leeds Older People’s Forum
“A very enjoyable day; thank you for asking me Tara.” June, Service user at Zest Zest is based at the Old Fire Station in Gipton,a community and enterprise hub, which has only been open since August 2017, Ronnie (who is 89) spoke to me about the hub saying how good it was as there
has had been a lack of
resources for older people in the area and it was nice to have somewhere to go. Ronnie had attended one of the cooking courses that Zest run and got a lot out of it. He had never cooked before doing the course and now cooks regularly.
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I Always Wanted to‌ Daisyfield Grange We invited all Daisyfield residents and asked them to tell us about their most memorable time and to tell us their greatest wish, if they had done anything for the first time or something they would like to do for the first time or had regretted not doing. We learnt that our residents have done some amazing things in their lives; one marched in the coronation parade, some had been to fantastic places in the world such as New York, Venice, Russia & Pearl Harbour. We shared stories and learnt that no matter who you are, where you come from, what life you had we have done amazing things that we should be proud of and that we should talk them about and tell others about our amazing lives. Many residents thought their stories were not good enough to tell and by sharing we learnt that others were interested and people were intrigued to find out more.
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Our wish list was eye opening too, the organisers expected to receive lavish requests and to be inundated by unrealistic asks. On the contrary the wish lists of our residents were very humbling and not many were for selfish desires They included good health for all, world peace and to make friends with everyone in the home. Even the personal desires were minimal in design such as a bouquet of flowers with one lady explaining she had never been bought flowers. One wanted to attend the opera, one wanted to dine in style with afternoon tea, one wanted to entertain children with a puppet show and one wanted to run a marathon – all granted in some way. We hope our residents will form friendships and come together more often as a result of this event. Plus, be more willing to share their life experience and feel comfortable opening up to others knowing they will be listened to and that their experiences are worthwhile talking about and interesting to others. Barbara Dixon, Daisyfield Grange
“The day I marched around London in the Coronation Day Parade, a very proud moment in my life.” Doreen, former WRAF
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Afternoon Tea at the Postcard Cafe Seacroft Good Neighbours As it so often seems to be the case with IDOP the Seacroft Neighbourhood Network event began with tea and cake being served. Kate (the Network Manager) went around introducing me and asking if people were happy for me to photograph them. There was little (if any) reticence on the part of the people attending to having their photo taken in fact one woman asked me when I was going to start as she was keen to have her picture taken with her friends!
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Once the tea (and first round of photos) were out of the way staff and volunteers from LS14 Trust were on hand to assist service users on getting to grips with technology. A large mobile phone company has supplied the Network with refurbished phones and Kate told me that getting older people digitally connected helps them to stay connected, increases safety and opens up opportunities. She explained that one client, who is 94 years old, has really taken to using laptops but has Parkinson’s disease so her hands shake which can make using a mobile or tablet difficult so they are helping her to use voice recognition technology to make using the laptop easier. The group who I met at the event are clearly embracing the latest technologies and using it to help stay in touch with their families particularly through social media. Another scheme which they have become part of is Postcrossing, a project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world. That's real postcards, not electronic! The LS14 Trust provides the postcards and the stamps and the service users write out the postcards telling the person they are sending it to a little bit about themselves. They then search on the Crosspost website and pick someone to send it to. This teaches I.T. skills and allows the people involved in the scheme to then become eligible to receive postcards from people across the world. Sean Tunnicliffe, Communications Officer, Leeds Older People’s Forum
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Dementia Friendly Celebration Event Adults & Health Complex Needs Centres & Older Peoples Day Opportunities in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries This event and activities leading up to it linked into the history of innovation, industry & trailblazers in Leeds through support of Leeds Museums & Galleries. Curators from Armley Mills & Abbey House Museum supported people with reminiscences on the IDOP theme of trailblazers using a variety of objects & pictures from their current exhibitions. People had the opportunity to share their firsts & achievements along with their memories of what it was like living & working in Leeds over the last 50 years and learn more about Leeds & its history. We also had a hairdo memories session from a hairdresser who specialises in vintage hairdressing and the performances arranged for the event from Swing Dance Leeds and the Choir were also interactive as well as fun & entertaining.
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The benefits to people living with dementia in having opportunities to participate in stimulating & interactive learning opportunities and sharing memories, are well documented and we are already on with increasing these opportunities in our programme, e.g. through connections with other projects, such as Live Music Now. As a result of this event we will be continuing to work in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries on promoting learning through supporting people’s engagement with their local museums and we aim to work together on events in the future. Bridget Campbell, Senior Support Worker, Adults and Health (Older People’s Services, Mental Health & Physical Impairment)
“The event and activities leading up to it, inspired people to talk about their achievements.” Bridget Campbell, Adults and Health
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Desert Island Discs and ‘Clubbercise’ Bramley Elderly Action Desert Island Discs We wanted to reveal how varied and current older people’s interests and tastes are and we learnt exactly that! We found out what music people are into, we learnt that older people still want to dance to music they love and that almost everyone has fun wearing a glo-stick! We learnt more about them, their lives and their passions. Already, the knowledge about people’s music tastes has had an impact. At Men’s Day, as a direct result of the IDOP activity, our Support Worker has started using a contemporary music playlist, which has resulted in attendees at Men’s Day getting up to dance. We also asked attendees (100 people) at our AGM in October to tell us about their musical icons and what decade has been their favourite, because the IDOP event has revealed that it’s time to check in again and gauge people’s tastes and interests.
‘Clubbercise’ The exercise session had small numbers, but was very much enjoyed. We are hoping to run another taster session like this in future. We will use the photographs and comments gathered during the sessions and believe they will help to encourage older people that we’re a community they might enjoy being part of and benefit from. Fran Graham, Operations Manager Bramley Elderly Action
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“We wanted to reveal how varied and current older people’s interests and tastes are.” Fran Graham, Operations Manager, Bramley Elderly Action
Photo above and below are by Philip O'Connell
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Laughter Yoga Horsforth Live at Home Scheme The Initial response from advertising this event was mixed, some people were excited by the event but many were sceptical. There was a perception that because of having “yoga� in the title it would be physically demanding. One member who lives with a long-term condition had previously heard about Laughter Yoga and had suggested it to me was very keen, she reported that the event met her expectations. We had slightly less attendees than anticipated however were very pleased with how the event went. There will be an article in our newsletter about the laughter yoga event and asking for expressions of interest for further sessions, we are aiming to start a 6 month trial of monthly laughter yoga sessions starting in March 2019. The expectation is that positive feedback from those who attended will reduce scepticism and so more people will attend future sessions, although as these will be payable (to cover instructor costs) there may be an added challenge in encouraging people to try it. Sally Metcalfe, Horsforth Live at Home Scheme Manager
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All organisations who Received IDOP 2018 Community Grants ● Adults & Health Complex Needs Centre ● Asha Neighbourhood Project ● BHI Black Health Initiative ● Bramley Elderly Action ● Daisyfield Grange Residents ● Horsforth Live at Home Scheme ● Leeds Jewish Welfare Board ● Moor Allerton Elderly Care (MAECare) ● Naya Savera ● Seacroft Neighbourhood Networks ● Otley Action for Older People ● Rothwell and District Gateway Club ● Touchstone Sikh Elders Service ● Yorkshire Mesmac Sage Project/West Yorkshire Queer Stories ● Zest – Health for Life
BHI Black Health Initiative
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Funding The funding for the IDOP Community Grants is provided by Leeds City Council
IDOP 2018 Steering Committee ● Carole Clark
Leeds City Council Public Health
● Leanne Buchan
Leeds City Council Culture, Commissioning & Communications
● Lucia Fella
Independent
● Howard Foreman
Independent
● Debra Kerr
Leeds City Council
● Sita Poran
Independent
● Richard Porter
Leeds City Council Public Health
● Lynn Towler
Leeds Libraries & Information Service
● Sean Tunnicliffe
Leeds Older People’s Forum
● Geoff Turnbull
Leeds City Council Equalities Team
The IDOP Steering Committee is made up of representatives from the statutory and voluntary sector and older people. It is supported by Leeds City Council.
Credits We would like to thank the following people and organisations for allowing us the use of their photos: ● Asha Neighbourhood Project ● Black Health Initiative ● Bramley Elderly Action ● Daisyfield Grange ● Horsforth Live at Home Scheme ● Leeds City Council Adults & Health Complex Needs Centres/Leeds Galleries & Museums ● Phillip O’Connell (Bramley Elderly Action) Cover, Zest and Seacroft Good Neighbours photos by Sean Tunnicliffe Yorkshire Mesmac’s Sage Project partnered by West Yorkshire Queer Stories held an intergenerational event where older people swapped stories and personal experiences with younger people and then used these stories to produce a zine called Trailblazing stories. Copies of the zine are available to buy and cost £3. If you would like to buy a copy please contact Ross Horsley at: R.Horsley@mesmac.co.uk
For further information contact Leeds Older People’s Forum Suite C24, Joseph’s Well Hanover Walk Leeds LS3 1AB Tel:(0113) 244 1697 | Email: sean.tunnicliffe@forumcentral.org.uk Web: www.opforum.org.uk | Twitter: @leedsopf | Facebook: www.facebook.com/lopforum/ Registered Charity Number: 1067630
© Leeds Older People’s Forum 2018